Early voting at the Acres Home Multiservice Center in Houston on Oct. 26, 2014.

Middle ground is arguably the most dangerous turf for a Texas lawmaker to occupy these days, and new research shows that none are doing it. The gap between moderate Republican and Democratic lawmakers is growing.

In the Roundup: State officials react to a video showing a Planned Parenthood executive discussing the harvesting of fetal organs, a county clerk resigns in protest of the gay marriage ruling, and the Jade Helm 15 military training exercise gets underway.

A roundup of fundraising in the top races of 2016, Perry and Cruz confirm they will share a debate stage and David Simpson calls again for a special session on same-sex marriage — all that and more in the latest issue of our subscriber-only newsletter for political insiders ($).

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, shakes hands at The Citizens United Freedom Summit in South Carolina, May 9, 2015.

The super PACs backing U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz think his path forward is highlighting how "wedge issues" make him the strongest candidate against Hillary Clinton, according to a presentation leaked Thursday.

TX Attorney General Ken Paxton, speaks to media following remarks at event hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation regarding impact of the EPA's Clean Power Plan on June 22, 2015

Attorney General Ken Paxton, dogged by a cloud of legal uncertainty since taking office in January, is not using taxpayer dollars to pay his lawyers, according to aides, who left it less clear whether he plans to tap his campaign account.

A Texas correctional officer killed while escorting a prisoner to his cell was beaten to death with a two-foot pry bar, a tool guards carry to unlock the small meal tray openings in a cell door, the Tribune has confirmed.

Hospitals that serve large uninsured populations stand to lose critical funding if Texas can’t convince the federal government to continue helping the state pay, doctors and health advocates told the state health department Thursday.

Started during Greg Abbott's tenure as attorney general, a project to upgrade the technology for the state’s antiquated child support enforcement system is years behind schedule. The AG's office, now under the leadership of Ken Paxton, is hoping to restructure the project.

This week on The Ticket: Jay Root and Ben Philpott break down the campaign announcement speech of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and talk to Craig Gilbert, the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Joined by Dave McIntosh (left), the president of the Washington, D.C-based Club for Growth, and U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz spoke at a July 15, 2015, news conference in front the U.S. Capitol to call on U.S. House and Senate leaders to eliminate any path for the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.

Two weeks after it was supposedly killed, the federal Export-Import Bank may soon be resuscitated by tagging its future to a massive highway funding bill. The congressional gamesmanship has conservatives vowing to kill the bank for good.